Peptide Ion Channel Toxins from the Bootlace Worm, the Longest Animal on Earth

Overview

Journal Sci Rep

Specialty Science

Date 2018 Mar 24

PMID 29567943

Citations 13

Authors

Erik Jacobsson

Hakan S Andersson

Malin Strand

Steve Peigneur

Camilla Eriksson

Henrik Loden

Mohammadreza Shariatgorji

Per E Andren

Eline K M Lebbe

K Johan Rosengren

Jan Tytgat

Ulf Goransson

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Polypeptides from animal venoms have found important uses as drugs, pharmacological tools, and within biotechnological and agricultural applications. We here report a novel family of cystine knot peptides from nemertean worms, with potent activity on voltage-gated sodium channels. These toxins, named the α-nemertides, were discovered in the epidermal mucus of Lineus longissimus, the 'bootlace worm' known as the longest animal on earth. The most abundant peptide, the 31-residue long α-1, was isolated, synthesized, and its 3D NMR structure determined. Transcriptome analysis including 17 species revealed eight α-nemertides, mainly distributed in the genus Lineus. α-1 caused paralysis and death in green crabs (Carcinus maenas) at 1 µg/kg (~300 pmol/kg). It showed profound effect on invertebrate voltage-gated sodium channels (e.g. Blattella germanica Na1) at low nanomolar concentrations. Strong selectivity for insect over human sodium channels indicates that α-nemertides can be promising candidates for development of bioinsecticidal agents.

Citing Articles

Proteotranscriptomic Profiling of the Toxic Mucus of (Pilidiophora, Nemertea).

Kuznetsov V, Melnikova D, Shabelnikov S, Magarlamov T Toxins (Basel). 2025; 17(1).

PMID: 39852959 PMC: 11768458. DOI: 10.3390/toxins17010005.

Peptide Toxins from Antarctica: The Nemertean Predator and Scavenger (McIntosh, 1876).

Jacobsson E, Stromstedt A, Andersson H, Avila C, Goransson U Toxins (Basel). 2024; 16(5).

PMID: 38787061 PMC: 11126048. DOI: 10.3390/toxins16050209.

New Pyridyl and Dihydroisoquinoline Alkaloids Isolated from the Chevron Nemertean .

Kem W, Soti F, Rocca J, Johnson J Mar Drugs. 2024; 22(4).

PMID: 38667758 PMC: 11050936. DOI: 10.3390/md22040141.

The Sobering Sting: Oleoyl Serotonin Is a Novel Snail Venom-Derived Antagonist of Cannabinoid Receptors That Counteracts Learning and Memory Deficits.

An D, Carrazoni G, Neves B, DHooge R, Peigneur S, Tytgat J Biomedicines. 2024; 12(2).

PMID: 38398056 PMC: 10887214. DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12020454.

Venomous Noodles: The Evolution of Toxins in Nemertea through Positive Selection and Gene Duplication.

Sonoda G, Tobaruela E, Norenburg J, Fabi J, Andrade S Toxins (Basel). 2023; 15(11).

PMID: 37999513 PMC: 10674772. DOI: 10.3390/toxins15110650.

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